Four Gospels Midrash

Bear with me a little bit, Rev Elizabeth Andres say I am “long-winded” and I type too fast.

Most of all stray from my points. If you not familiar with midrash this a short over view.

A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is nothing more than a list of Biblical books which establishes the names of books which are considered to be authoritative as scripture by a religious community, generally in Judaism or Christianity. This technical term is late and Christian, but the idea is Jewish. Those to understand the Gospels one has to understand midrash (Hebrew: מדרש; plural midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of exegesis of a Biblical text. The term "midrash" can also refer to a compilation of Midrashic teachings, in the form of legal, exegetical or homiletical commentaries on the Tanakh (Jewish Bible). Most forget Jesus was Jewish, as were the Gospels Jewish Book, written for Jew’s by Jew’s. As it was true with his disciples Peter, James, John , Judas. (midrash Jacob fathered 12 sons, 12 tribes of Israel , 12 apostle ) In the beginning of Christianity one first had to convert to Judaism to become a Christian. In order to truly understand the Gospels one most know the order of the months of the Jewish year that was followed in the first year, along with prominent festivals, fast, and holy days of the Jewish year in the First Century. (In Mark it is the story of Jesus from Rosh Hashanah to Passover) The very fact is Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, James, and Jude the authorship is document to be Jewish, all though most Christian through exegesis deny or dispute this fact.

According to the Pardes system of exegesis, understanding of Biblical text in Judaism is divided among peshat (simple meaning), remez (hints, clues), derash (interpretation) and sod (mystical, lit. "secret"). The Midrash concentrates somewhat on remez but mostly on derash.

Many different exegetical methods are employed to derive deeper meaning from a text. This is not limited to the traditional thirteen textual tools attributed to the Tanna Rabbi Ishmael, which are used in the interpretation of Halakha (Jewish law). Presence of superfluous words or letters, chronology of events, parallel narratives or other textual anomalies are often a springboard for interpretation of segments of Biblical text. In many cases, a dialogue is expanded manifold: handfuls of lines in the Biblical narrative may become long philosophical discussions. It is unclear whether the Midrash assumes these dialogues took place in reality or if this refers only to subtext or religious implication.

The "classical" Midrash starts off with a seemingly unrelated sentence from the Biblical books of Psalms, Proverbs or the Prophets. This sentence later turns out to metaphorically reflect the content of the rabbinical interpretation offered.

Some Midrash discussions are highly metaphorical, and many Jewish authors stress that they are not intended to be taken literally. Rather, other midrashic sources may sometimes serve as a key to particularly esoteric discussions. Later authors maintain that this was done to make this material less accessible to the casual reader and prevent its abuse by detractors.

In general the Midrash is focused on either Halakhic (legal) or Aggadic (non-legal and chiefly homiletical) subject matter. Both kinds of Midrashim were at first preserved only orally; but their writing down commenced in the 2nd century, and they now exist in the shape chiefly of exegetical or homiletical commentaries on Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). Midrashic literature is worthwhile reading not only for its insights into Judaism and the history of Jewish thought, but also for the more incidental data it provides to historians, philologists, philosophers, and scholars of either historical-critical Bible study or comparative religion.

Midrash halakha was the ancient Judaic rabbinic method of Torah study verifying the traditionally received 613 Mitzvot ("laws") by identifying their sources in the Torah Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), and by interpreting these passages as proofs of the law's authenticity. Midrash more generally also refers to the "non-legal" interpretation of the Tanakh (aggadic midrash). The term is applied also to the derivation of new laws, either by means of a correct interpretation of the obvious meaning of scriptural words themselves or by the application of certain hermeneutic rules.

The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, "repetition"), redacted circa 200 CE by Yehudah Ha-Nasi (יהודה הנשׂיא / "President Judah"), is the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people, as championed by the Pharisees, and as debated between 70-200 CE by the group of rabbinic sages known as the Tannaim.

In traditional Jewish belief, the "Oral Torah", or "oral law," was an unwritten tradition which was given from God to Moses on Mount Sinai , which elucidated the written Torah but was not incorporated into its text. However, the Talmud relates that the oral laws were eventually recorded in the form of the Mishnah by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, referred to in its text simply as "Rabbi," when the passage of time and the persecution of the Jews raised the possibility that its details would be forgotten.

The Mishnah consists of six orders ("sedarim"), each containing 7-12 tractates called masechtot, each of which is divided into verses called mishnayot. The orders include: Zeraim ("Seeds"), dealing with agricultural laws and prayers, Moed ("Festival"), pertaining to the laws of the Sabbath and the Festivals, Nashim ("Women"), concerning marriage and divorce, Nezikin ("Damages"), dealing with civil and criminal law, Kodashim ("Holy things"), regarding sacrificial rites, the Temple, and the dietary laws, and Tohorot ("Purities"), pertaining to the laws of purity and impurity, including the impurity of the dead, the laws of ritual purity for the priests (Kohanim), the laws of "family purity" (the menstrual laws) and others.

The homiletical midrashim embrace the interpretation of the non-legal portions of the Hebrew Bible. These midrashim are sometimes referred to as aggadah or haggadah, a loosely-defined term that may refer to all non-legal discourse in classical rabbinic literature.

Aggadic explanations of the non-legal parts of Scripture are characterized by a much greater freedom of exposition than the Halachic Midrashim (midrashim on Jewish law.) Aggadic expositors availed themselves of various techniques, including sayings of prominent rabbis. These aggadic explanations could be philosophical or mystical disquisitions concerning angels, demons, paradise, hell, the messiah, Satan, feasts and fasts, parables, legends, satirical assaults on those who practice idolatry, etc.

Some of these midrashim entail mystical teachings. The presentation is such that the Midrash is a simple lesson to the uninitiated, and a direct allusion, or analogy, to a Mystical teaching for those educated in this area.

An example of a Midrashic interpretation: "And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day." (Genesis 1:31) - Midrash: Rabbi Nahman said in Rabbi Samuel's name: "Behold, it was good" refers to the Good Desire; "And behold, it was very good" refers to the Evil Desire. (It only says "very good" after man was created with both the good and bad inclinations, in all other cases in only says "and God saw that it was good") Can then the Evil Desire be very good? That would be extraordinary! But without the Evil Desire, however, no man would build a house, take a wife and beget children; and thus said Solomon: "Again, I considered all labour and all excelling in work, that it is a man's rivalry with his neighbour." (Kohelet IV, 4) (Genesis Rabbah 9:7, translation from Soncino Publications). Those my belief the original sin had nothing to do with sex it was man knowing the power to emulating God or be like God and God like power. Fundamental Evangelicals Conservative Christian denominations use the concept of the original Sin has been a religious means of getting humans to give up psychological control of their lives ( “unworthy”) to an ideology and to religious authority (“worthy”) of oppression of self-ownership, individual sovereignty. By justifying Midrashic interpretation of Bible denies church the ability of psychological control, 1 John 3:13.

It was not until The Council of Nicaea 325 AD did the church as we know it today begin consolidate the power to control Christian thought and Midrashic interpretation of Bible just get in the way . The First Council of Nicaea, held in Nicaea in Bithynia (present-day Iznik in Turkey ), convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in 325, was the first Ecumenical council of the early Christian Church, and most significantly resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Nicene Creed. If any official minutes, or Acta, were kept of the Council of Nicaea, these have not survived. What we have are its twenty canons, or disciplinary decisions, are preserved in a variety of sources, as is a synodical letter that the council sent to the church of Alexandria . An early Christian creed traditionally attributed to the Apostles, but actually coming from the third century. A comparison of the Apostles Creed with the Nicene Creed reveals the theological innovations the battle against the Arian Controversy brought about with regard to the statements concerning the nature of the Christian godhead, that is, the doctrine of the Trinity.

Next, council (which is not Biblical Based) is described in a number of church histories from that period. Eusebius of Caesarea, the first church historian, concludes his famous Church History before the time of the council, but he does cover the events in his later Life of Constantine, covers the council but completely ignores the theological issues at stake. Socrates, Sozomen and Theodoret, who wrote in the 440s AD takes over were Eusebius left off and which all, at or near the beginning, cover the events of Nicaea. (Apology, a speech by Socrates transcribed by Plato and the Apology, an account by Xenophon). Christian apologetics had early formation from Socrates he was tried and convicted by the courts of democratic Athens on a charge of corrupting the youth and disbelieving in the ancestral gods. I see the same thing going on today.

Christian apologetics is the field of study concerned with the systematic defense of Christianity. The term "apologetic" comes from the Greek word apologia (απολογία), which means in defense of; therefore a person involved in Christian or Bible Apologetics is a defender of Christianity. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul of Tarsus, including writers such as Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, and continuing today with the modern Christian community through many authors in various Christian traditions. Apologists have based their defense of Christianity on favoring interpretations of historical evidence, philosophical arguments, scientific investigation, and other avenues.

This Classical Greek term appears in the Koine (that is, common) Greek of the New Testament. The apostle Paul employed the term "apologia" in his trial speech to Festus and Agrippa when he said, "I make my defense" (Acts 26:2). In the English language, the word apology, derived from the Greek word "apologia", usually refers to asking for forgiveness for an action that is open to blame. Christian apologetics are meant, however, to argue that Christianity is reasonable and in accordance with the evidence that can be examined, analogous to the use of the term in the Apology of Socrates, written by Plato.

It was The Council of Nicaea 325 AD that sit the dogma, traditions, theology and most off all orthodox of the church. It developed to what we know today, when Christianity left it Jewish roots Jewish roots behind in doing so all so Christ and God behind. Just as today the church was made up of many different theologies. Arianism is most commonly used to refer to the theological positions made famous by the theologian Arius (c. AD 250-336), who lived and taught in Alexandria , Egypt , in the early 4th century.

At the Council of Nicaea there were two debated points over the issue of deity of Christ, whether or not the Son had a beginning and whether or not he was created out of nothing. Behind these is the fundamental issue of the deity of Christ, which Arius denied. For him the Son was not to be identified with God himself but is the first and greatest of God’s creatures. He was made ex nihilo, although Arius (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarianism today) also affirmed that all of the rest of God’s creation was made through the Son. Since time is an aspect of the created universe, which was made through the Son, the latter existed before all time. “Creationism” and the newly spun “Intelligent Design.” Before it was all over Roman Emperor Constantine ordered the Thalia, the book in which Arius had expressed his teachings, to be burned. (Heteroousianism is a Christian belief that the substance or being of God the Father and the substance or being of the Son of God (Jesus) are different Commonly called Arianism, though Arianism includes other beliefs in addition to this one. The teaching was developed as a response to the homoousian teaching. Homoiousianism from the Greek όμοιος meaning similar and ουσία meaning essence or being) was a 4th century CE movement which arose in the early period of the Christian religion out of a wing of Arianism. It was an attempt to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable views of the pro-Nicene homoousians, who believed that God the father and Jesus his son were identical in substance, with the "neo-Arian" position that God the father is "incomparable" and therefore the Son can not be described in any sense as "like in substance or attributes" but only "like" (ομολοζ) the Father in some suborbinate sense of the term.)

In Christianity, Trinity is the doctrine that God is one being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a mutual indwelling of three persons (not to be confused by "person"): the Father, the Son (incarnate as Jesus of Nazareth), and the Holy Spirit is not found any were in the Bible. Only through the use of exegesis and apologetics can there be a claim to such.

In a letter Constantine wrote to the Alexandrian Church, he talks of those who had been blaspheming against the Saviour, teaching ‘contrary to the divinely inspired Scriptures.’ He also stresses that ‘that which has commended itself to the judgment of three hundred bishops cannot be other than the doctrine of God; seeing that the Holy Spirit dwelling in the minds of so many dignified persons has effectively enlightened them respecting the divine will.’

In closing this I would like to leave at this thought, in Christianity, Sabellianism is the nontrinitarian belief that the Heavenly Father, Resurrected Son and Holy Spirit are different modes or aspects of one God (for us only), rather than three distinct persons (in Himself). God was said to have three "faces" or "masks" (Grk. prosopa). The question is: "is God's threeness a matter of our falsely seeing it to be so, or a matter of God's own essence revealed as three-in-one, orthodox trinitarianism?" The only number ascribed to God in the Holy Bible is One and that there is no inherent threeness ascribed to God explicitly in scripture any were New or Old Testament. The number three is never mentioned in relation to God in scripture, which of course is the number that is central to the word Trinity. I believe the Trinity as it was at the Council of Nicaea to be the invention of the church to control the Christian belief and the power to be only able to define God.

See Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism by John Shelby Spong

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Rev Linda Miskimen

Master of Religion

Master of Religion

Final Paper

Of the chapters in this course, none ignites as much heated debates, opinions and discussions as does #20 Government and Church. In the United States of America we have what’s called the Constitution. In it there is a specification which simply states there is to be a separation of Church and State. This is all well and good in a perfect society, however, no one on earth lives in a perfect society. I will come back to this.

This chapter made reference that we are fortunate to live in a country that allows us to worship as we please without the fear of bodily harm (I threw in the bodily harm part). This was only true after the 60’s when the KKK stopped burning down the churches that African Americans were worshiping in. Currently however, individuals feel again that it is their right to burn worshiping places of Muslims because of the turmoil’s overseas. I do not see free to worship. Our Government, Supreme Courts and Law Enforcement Agencies have now deemed this crime a “Hate Crime” and falls under federal jurisdiction. Many of our Politicians’ pushed for this law to pass. Was this separation of State and Government? 

On the other side of this free to worship as we please, has its faults. This means that anybody with their interpretation of the bible or their own writings can form a church or gathering can call themselves a Religion. So now enter the fanatic, Rev. Jim Jones. How many of his followers died believing in his words?

As we have learned over the years there are more religions than just Catholic and Protestant. Just by Continent orientation for example we have Asian, Eastern, Middle Eastern, Far East to name a few. This brings into light the Buddhism, Hindu and Muslim religions. Some countries have more than one religion whereas others have one religion that is recognized by their country or countries leader at that time. Many times these countries have laws and punishment of infractions to these laws quoted directly from the pages of the only religion practiced in that country. The best example I can give of a country today that comes close to this scenario is Iran. Not only do they practice the teachings of this religion, everyone in the country at the sound coming from the speakers throughout the land must stop what they are doing and began worship whatever that time of the day dictated as interpreted by their President. Hmmm, no separation of church and state here. 

Ahhh, my favorite part of the world. In Iraq, suicide bombers act in the name of their perceived notion of their religion. Suicide itself is banished in most religions, not to mention the act of killing yourself and just for jollies killing of innocent bystanders (your own women and children) at the same time. From the Government standpoint, if your Army continues to kill itself just to make a point, eventually you will have no Army.

Prior to the U.S invasion of Afghanistan the Taliban ran that country in the name of religion with an iron fist. They used religion as the basis for their laws and punishment, only they did not have to abide by them. Show me where it says you may grow poppy fields instead of edible crops, and you can sell the opium to other countries to help finance your terrorism in the name of religion against other countries. Human Rights Activists have field days with these countries.

Back to the United States of America. No Government can have a perfect separation of religion. Just the mere act of laws and punishment developed from religions. Like many countries with leaders and religion to dictate their country we too have human rights activists breathing down our necks. I am not telling you I agree with this group, I just find it funny that everybody wants to come to America and we too are not immune to this group.

Religion is an integral part of our world and therefore can never be totally eliminated from the governments. The subject of Governments and Religions can go on for hundreds of pages and weeks of discussions. I only presented a microscopic example, my small opinion. I wish to thank you for allowing me this opportunity to express my thoughts.

Take Care,

Dr. Richard L Benson, D.R.S.

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The FOUR GOSPELS

The Holy Book of John the seventh chapter. I believe you did not spend enough time with this chapter with the importance it has in lives of individuals.

Chapters 7 verses 1 - 25 are looked at as a jumbled mess of miscellaneous materials. There is no discourse of any length but this does not mean there is no structure or purpose to the chapter.

Verse 1 – 7 is the introduction

We start the chapter in Galilee where the 5000 are fed and the theme of the Bread of Life is born. Just like the previous chapters we are going to have a major change in scenery. Jesus is to return to Jerusalem and not return to Galilee until the 21 chapter of John. This chapter is where we find the true identity of Jesus. It allows us to know to whom we believe.

Verse 11-13 The Feast of the Tabernacles.

Jesus returns to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles. Upon the arrival of the followers, Jesus was not present.

The Feast of the Tabernacles was one of the three major feasts of the Old Testament. It takes place at the end of September and the beginning of October. Every Jewish male in a twenty-mile radius of Jerusalem was required to attend. Jews from the Middle East and Mediterranean basin came to Jerusalem for he Feast of Tabernacles because they could travel safely during the summer months. This was one of their favorite festivals. The festival was also known as the Feast of Booths, and Fest of Ingathering.

Feast of the Ingathering.

They celebrated the successful conclusion to the harvest season. The harvest season in the region begins in May and continues through September with one crop after another being harvested.

Feast of Booths or Tabernacles.

This feast celebrated God’s presence while they wandered in the desert before they had any harvests. During this feast time the Jews stayed in tents or shacks made of sticks and leaves. The name Tabernacles and Booths derive their name from these little shacks. This was to remind them of the forty years they spent in the wilderness.

This was a festival of a holy convocation; a sacred assembly and they were to do no work. The Mishnal indicates the interestamental period there were two other major rituals celebrated with the Feast of Tabernacles. A large bowl of water was taken up to the alter and poured out, and there was also a special ceremony involving the lighting of the Court of the Women.

Verse 14 – 24 Jesus and the Law of Moses.

Without warning in the middle of the feast Jesus appeared in the temple and began teaching. In that period the boys were taught to read and then memorize the Law. Training for the rabbis consisted of learning the oral tradition that Jews believed to have been delivered to Moses and passed along orally through the centuries.

When Jesus began teaching the quality of his teachings astonished the Jews because they knew he had no formal training in rabbinic disputation. They question him “How does this fellow know legal matters when he has not learned”. Jesus’ reply makes perfect sense in a Jewish context. “I have not made up my teaching. It is the teaching of the Rabbi-teacher whom I represent.” Whom of coarse is the Father.

“If anyone is willing to do his will, he will know concerning the teaching – whether it is of God or whether I speak from myself.” Thus doing the will of God is doing everything that Jesus did. The person who speaks out of his or her own authority and self is seeking his or her own glory. The person who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is true and there is no unrighteousness in him. Jesus makes a pointed attack on the Jewish rabbis who saw their ministry as an opportunity to build their own fame.

God-centeredness instead of self-centeredness is our only hope for maintaining credibility in the world. The fall of media preachers in recent years provides negative evidence of this truth.

This really angered the Jews and Jesus reminded them that they know the law but none of them obeys the Law. In the Greek it is emphatic – NOT EVEN ONE. This may explain why they were trying to kill Jesus.

Jesus then takes issue of healing the man at the pool (John 5: 21-24). Jesus defended his healing of the man as the will of God. His argument was an excellent example of Jewish method of argument. A lesser matter to a greater matter (fortiori argument) is the greater argument.

The Jews circumcise a baby boy on the Sabbath to fulfill the will of God. They broke the Sabbath to cut away a small part of a person. To heal a whole person would be even a greater fulfillment of the will of God even on the Sabbath.

Dr. William Stilwater, PhD

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Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church. 

Four Gospels

A commentary on part of the four gospels course. For whoever has taken this course I hope you will find this short Bible study edifying. For those who have not I hope you also find it useful. This courses main reference was from a book called the Unvarnished Gospels which I will not refer to. I have chosen to use a New American Standard Bible. Use whatever one you wish. The author of this course made mention of a passage in Matthew 9:14-17. For ease of instruction the words of Jesus are all in red. "The disciples of John came to Him (Jesus), asking, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. But no one puts a patch of un-shrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. Nor do people put new wine into old wine skins; otherwise the wine skins burst, and the wine pours out and the wine skins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wine skins, and both are preserved." It is here that the author of the course is hoping to use this as a forum conversation starter. So I think I will try to take him up on his offer. Whoever wants to add in on the subject please feel free even if it is to tell me I don't know what I am talking about, but this is somewhat how a preacher explained this in a sermon I heard long ago and it has directed be ever since how I read my Bible. The question the 4 gospels author is asking is, does this mean you can't teach an old dog new tricks? He doesn't seem to think so but it is a good base question to start with. This parables theme seems to be saying "Out with the old and in with the new." Here is how I understand it. In Christ we are a brand new creation. The old man is buried with Christ to be raised again a new man. Every now and then the old man likes to pop up and we need to metaphorically beat him on the head to put him back in the grave. 　 Scriptural support. Romans 6:3-11 (Read the whole chapter to get a better picture.) "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin." Philippians 3:21 "Jesus Christ…who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory…" Here we have it painted quite clearly. Our old lives are buried. This is the meaning of baptism. Our old self in a tomb and raised again in Christ. One might deduce the wine skins being spoken of in this parable would mean us. I will get back to this point later on. Now what is the wine? Acts 2:4 is the day of Pentecost when everyone in the upper room was filled with the Holy Spirit. Later on in the same chapter in vs13 when they were speaking in tongues and being full of the Holy Spirit some mocked them saying they are full of "sweet wine" or as other translations of the Bible render this "new wine." The Holy Spirit in many cases in the Bible is compared to wine. Ephesians 5:18 "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit…" In Numbers 6:2-3 in the case of taking a Nazirite vow it says "he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes." What is Numbers 6 saying here? It is saying if you want to live a life of not just devotion to God but separation to God your partying and carousing days are over. Nowadays unless for other purposes I wouldn't take it so far as to abstain from a little alcohol but what is being said here is don't even have a hint of worldly influence in you. Leave room for the Holy Spirit to work in you by abstaining from impurities and evil. I am not saying drinking is evil, but I sure wouldn't want to get liquored up on a Sunday morning and go to church claiming to be Spirit filled. The same goes for sexual immorality. Do not be under the influence of the world here is the message and even think you can serve God. Samson in the book of Judges could not drink alcohol or any other fermented drink because of the Holy Spirit stirring in Him. Not that he was known for obeying the rules but this one I believe he respected. But the message of this study is the wine and the wine skins. I would strongly say the Wine spoken of in Matthew 9 is the Holy Spirit that God promised through the prophet Joel in chapter 2 vs23. "So rejoice O sons of Zion, and be glad in the LORD your God; For He has given you the early rain for your vindication. And He has poured down for you the rain. The early and latter rain as before. The threshing floors will be full of grain, and the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil." Then later in in vs. 28-29 he prophesies "It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days." The Holy Spirit is the new wine and the oil. Read Matt 25 for how the Holy Spirit is the oil. All the virgins had lamps which is the word of God but some of them didn't have any oil. The Holy Spirit is what illuminates and brings to life. It instructs, it guides and teaches. It is our anointing. It is our promise given to us of Christ's return. 1 John 2:26-27 - The Holy Spirit is our anointing; our instructor. John 16 - He is the Spirit of truth that reveals to us what we need. By the way as a side note. If you want to read a gospel that brings to light the deity of Jesus and what we have in Him through the Holy Spirit He sends read John. Eph 1:13 - The Holy Spirit is our seal/pledge. We have all as Christians been sealed with it for the day of redemption. Let us only by the strength Jesus brings us submit to Him daily through prayer that we might not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus is the one who brings us this Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17 - "I will ask the Father and He will give you ANOTHER helper, that He may be with your forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you." 　 John 2 is the first miracle Jesus performed. The miracle at Cana. Here He took ordinary water and turned it into wine that was better than what any man could make. Even the headwaiter exclaimed "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus makes the old like new again. We are the wineskin and he fills us up with the wine. But as John 2:26-27 says we cannot be filled with the wine if we are of the world or still the old man, decaying and dying. Titus 3:5 "He saved us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." A sign of coming out of the world and into the new family of Jesus is the taming of the tongue. James 3 says "The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity…the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell." James is making it sound very dismal. Who can control the tongue but God? We must therefore as put so well in Romans 6:12-13 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." And there you have it! I totally did not mean to write a sermon on Christian living, but if you are looking for the signs of God living in you and that you are submitting yourself to God and resisting the devil then this is part of what needs to happen. I am by no means saying this happens on our strength. I have been a Christian since I was a child. I have never known anything else. But at a point I fell away sort of. I presented by tongue and my body as instruments of unrighteousness and I had to say to God "Something just isn't working here. I need the Spirit of regeneration working in me like it did before." Then along came a change in my attitudes; desires and the strength of God came more and more into my life. We are all people in process. Only those who have died are free from sin. But we must never give up submitting to God. In Acts 10 Peter proclaimed the gospel message to the Gentiles, and as they heard this message. As this truth sank into their mind and their souls they became filled with the Holy Spirit. Then it was after this they were baptized with water. I use this verse for anyone who tells me a Christian is not spirit filled until they receive the water baptism for it was not before but after receiving the Holy Spirits baptism were the gentiles then baptised with water. And they were baptised into the name of Jesus Christ. Now assuming the reader of this is a Christian and wants to know more about the baptism of the Holy Spirit here is how I think of it as being. When you became a Christian you got a life saving drink of water. You were dying in the desert of your own sin. Along comes Jesus and says have a drink. Now that you have had a drink of water and have been partially filled you want more and more and more. You realise you cannot live the Christian life on your own power. If you are a pastor who has not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit you will one day out of humility ask God out of humility to fill your sermons and your ministry because you will finally realise you cannot do it on your own. Here comes a full blast of the Holy Spirit filling you right up. John 7:37-38 "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said 'from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" In vs. 39 the writer says "But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." If you want the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Talk to a pastor about it if you want, but I say unplug your phone and your TV set. Turn off your computer and pray and ask God for it. You have a heavenly Father who will not give you a scorpion if you ask for an egg or a snake if they ask for a fish. You have a perfect heavenly Father who wants to set your life on fire with His Holy Spirit so he can live out His desires through you. Not through forcefulness but by you submitting to Him. If the reader of this is not a Christian. I am telling you there is no better life than the Christian life. If anyone disputes that I and many other spirit filled Christians have a testimony that proves otherwise. You might be putting it off for whatever reason but in this case there is no time like the present. Please share your thoughts on the forum or contact me at justpray@hotmail.ca Colin. ******************** Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. 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The Four Gospels

The Four Gospels

By Rev. Barbara Annette Durbin

I believe that reading the Four Gospels teaches us several things.

1. It teaches us the History of Jesus.

His Birth as told by Prophesies.

His Teachings of the Gods Law from the Old Testament.

His Miracles, Healings, Releasing of Demons, Walking on water.

His Death on the Cross. Fight with Satan in the Underworld.

His Resurrection Three Days Later. And ascension into Heaven.

2. It teaches us that God Is the same today as he was yesterday and will be the same forevermore. God is the beginning and the end.

3. Jesus came not to Judge us, but to Free us of our sins and release us from the evil one. He brought us Salvation.

John 1:12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

John 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God .” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

4. Among His teachings of Gods Law.

Jesus came with a new Commandment – To LOVE One Another.

It is easy to love a friend. To love an enemy is of a much greater and higher love.

The Path to LOVE is Lead by:

My Father God - Jesus - the Holy Spirit

GOD is LOVE

5. God has given us Free Will.

It is up to us to decide to follow God or to follow other.

I believe that God loves us and as His child His desire is for us to chose Him.

I see the Gospels as with all of the New Testament as a Manual of how to live life.

How to treat others. How to treat oneself. How to accept God and his Laws.

Whether Man or Woman, In Gods eyes we are the same.

The Spirit is really neither.

We often seem to be looking for answers. Thing is, if more people were to look to the Bible, they will find the answers they seek.

Have Faith to that which is unseen.

My Message

In Prayer.... here are some of the things that enter my mind:

You have to let go of the past, of the pain and regret.

Open your heart to new beginnings.

Have Faith, Hope & Believe.

Be slow to anger and slow to speak.

Forgive as you would want to be forgiven.

Do unto others, as you'd have them do unto you.

Have Compassion.

SHOW Love.

At this moment; I need to add...

Make each day, each moment count.

Walk in LOVE... it is key.

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The Life of St. Paul

The Life of St. Paul Final Essay

Rev. Lucinda Parker

Sometimes despite all warnings and danger signs, we as humans forge ahead anyway. Taking this class for me was akin to seeing a “bridge out ahead” sign, and gunning my car in the vain hope of jumping across the creek unscathed.

The description warned me of Christian ahead, including the five lessons on worship, prayer and the Christian Way. I proceeded anyway, believing that I would actually learn more about St. Paul and broaden my horizons. Having slogged through 20 lessons of fundamental, Bible thumping Christian thought, I am truly happy to have completed this class. There were weeks I dreaded opening the lesson. The good thing is that I did read every lesson. I did have mental arguments with the author on every lesson.

And while my understanding of St. Paul and his life didn’t advance very far beyond where it was to start with, I understand all the reasons I am not Christian and why I have to sometimes work on my tolerance of those who are fundamentalists. The author added a good dose of anti-pagan language and more than a little glorification of a man. There was very little research about Paul presented that wasn’t simply Bible statements, written by who knows who.

For years, I attended a Unitarian Universalist church named St. Paul’s UU. The St. Paul they taught about was a very different individual than the one presented in this class. Perhaps he was really in the middle of the two teachings.

Compared to the other classes I have taken at the Seminary, this is one I would suggest only to Christians, and explain that it is entirely Bible based as not all Christians follow the Bible as absolute fact. There is little value in the class to those of other philosophies or religions.

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The Gospel of Thomas

Max Goelling

The Four Gospels Course
A Brief Exposition

INTRODUCTION

It was during one of my research inquiries into the authorship issues of the New Testament that I encountered a reference to some writings of which I had not heard. According to the story, a young Arab lad in the Upper Nile region of Egypt accidentally unearthed these writings during a fertilizer dig in 1945. After a series of political and archeological adventures, Biblical scholars were finally able to critically examine these documents and what they found was truly amazing.

One the principal reasons for the excitement among the scholars was the percentage of agreement that this “lost Gospel” shared with both the synoptic writings and with John. This led to the positing of 2 rather obvious questions: why were these writings not included in the canon and, secondly, what criteria were used to exclude them?

History

Although the Coptic translation of the Gospel of Thomas is the only complete version that we have, it is not the only direct witness to this interesting text. The story actually begins in a small town in Egypt, Oxyrhynchus, where a team of British archaeologists uncovered a great mass of papyrus fragments in the late 1800’s. Based on several other significant discoveries, this “trash dump” must have served as some type of refuse depository for many ancient writings. and its products have given us a unique insight into the Greco-Roman time period.

The first actual publication of a gospel fragment occurred in 1897. This was a small leaf (5 2/3 X 3 ½ inches) of papyrus codex. The Greek writing thereon spoke of certain sayings of Jesus, but as it, as well as all of the other finds, was only a fragment, little historical significance could be attached to it.

Once the Coptic translation of the full Gospel was published in the 1950’s, Biblical scholars such as Henri-Charles Puech, were able to establish the link between these two discoveries. Puech was able to match several of the “sayings” from the Oxyrhynchus fragments to sections of the Coptic version. But the real significance of these findings lies in the dates attributed to their authorship.

Dr. Bruce Metzger, one of the leading Biblical scholars in the world, who translated the Gospel of Thomas into English, believes the text to have been written c. 140 C.E. If he and other Biblical historians are correct, then the drafting of this document occurred within one hundred years of Jesus’ death. In and of itself, this is of no great significance, other than the fact that all of the other gospels were written well after this, and that this helps establish Metzger’s claim that Thomas may have been one of the critical sources for the both the synoptics and John.

One of the critical elements of this argument is the similarity of the text references between Thomas and the other gospel writers. Best estimates calculate that at least fifty-seven percent of the Gospel of Thomas is included in the other gospels. Of the 114 sayings in Thomas, there are 47 parallels to Mark, 17 to Matthew, 4 to Luke and 5 to John. This places the Gospel of Thomas well into the realm of being an “authoritative source.” Some scholars have even suggested that it may be the infamous “Q” source itself although Metzger disagrees. In his analysis of Thomas, he cites numerous perspectives espoused by the Thomas sayings that are entirely inconsistent with the canonical gospels. One example is the reference in #77: “Split the wood; I am there. Lift up a stone and you will find me there.” Metzger feels that this type of pantheistic allusion is inconsistent with the language of Jesus and therefore rejects it as being inauthentic. But Metzger’s biggest contribution to our understanding of this Gospel lies in his analysis of why it was not included in the canon.

Omitted From the Canon

The fact that the Gospel was omitted from the official canon has been a subject of intense debate for some time. One of the primary arguments for its exclusion relates to the purported date of it authorship. The dating of gospel writings has always been a major issue for the historical critics. Depending on whose version we choose to accept, the standard scholarly dating, (even in the most liberal circles,) usually places the writing of Mark in the 70’s, Matthew and Luke in the 80’s and John in the 90’s. Most scholars would agree that these dates still place the writings within the lifetimes of various eyewitnesses who could have corrected any discrepancies in the teachings that formed the basis for these documents. Craig Blomberg, a well-respected authority on the biographies of Jesus, actually believes that the gospels may have been written even earlier.

To validate this point, he utilizes the book of Acts in that it is left unfinished with Paul still under house arrest in Rome. As we have definitive evidence for the dates of this imprisonment, his theory is that Acts could not have been written any later than A.D. 62. Accepting that Acts is a two-part work, we can move backward from there to its first part (Luke), which must have been written prior to A.D. 62. As we know that the author of Luke incorporated parts of Mark, then Mark must have been written prior to A.D. 62 as well. Allowing for a year or so between the writings, this presumes that Mark was written around A.D. 60 or perhaps even the late 50’s. If Jesus was crucified in A.D. 30 or perhaps 33 A.D., then the gap between His death and the first gospel writings was only thirty years or so. It is clear that the dates of authorship were critical to the canonical councils during their deliberations. So what of the Gospel of Thomas?

Some scholars have dated the original Greek version from which the Nag Hammadi Coptic document was translated as early as the second half of the first century, placing it within a few decades of the crucifixion. If this analysis is accepted, then the writing of Thomas would have preceded the New Testament gospels. This lends a great deal of creditability to Thomas, as it places the writings much closer to the time that Jesus actually spoke the words. When the Jesus seminar debated the reliability of various historical sources, they determined that of the nine New Testament parables, which are thought to be stories actually told by Jesus, the Thomas version was closest to the original in six cases. This is a level of accuracy unparalleled by any other historical writings. So why exclude it from the canon?

According to Metzger, it would be incorrect to say that the Gospel of Thomas was excluded by “some fiat on the part of the council.” He feels that although the text appears to have been written around A.D. 140, it is the character of the writings themselves that present a sufficient case for its exclusion. Metzger elaborates further on both the criteria and the process utilized by these canonical synods and councils, which he feels, provide us with a consistent and accurate portrayal of the life and teachings of Jesus. Based on my reading of some of Blomberg’s methods, it appears that he is one of the most comprehensive, and yet faithful, of the Biblical scholars.

As for the criteria themselves, Metzger explains that the early church had three basic requirements for including writings into the canonic:

The criterion of apostolic authority-was it either written by an apostle or by someone who was an eyewitness to the events described?

The criterion of conformity-was the document congruent with the basic Christian tradition and was it consistent with what the church considered to be normative?

Did the document have continuous acceptance and usage by the church?

Each of these criterion were weighted differently depending on the composition of the group, the relevant cultural perspectives of the period and the specific aspects of the documents being examined. The remarkable fact is that even with all of the conflict and disharmony involved in the process of canonization, and we must remember that these efforts began as early as the Fifth century, that an amazing degree of unanimity regarding the greater part of the New Testament was the result.

When one examines the Gospel of Thomas in this light, we find some rather interesting inconsistencies, which appear to be totally in conflict with the accepted writings of the synoptics. For example, the last verse comes form Simon Peter who says, “Let Mary go away form us, because women are not worthy of life.” Then Jesus said, “Look, I shall lead her so that I can make her male in order that she also may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven.” According to Metzger, the character and wording of this saying is entirely inconsistent with the portrayal of Jesus in the canonical gospels. Whether this sheds any light on the authenticity of this saying is unclear. Members of the Jesus seminar offered another perspective when they discussed the Petrine tradition being traditionally unkind to women, i.e. Peter 3:1-6, where the women are certainly seen as subordinates in role. When Jesus speaks of the female-male conversion, this appears to be a metaphor for the higher and lower aspects of human nature. Mary, then, must undergo a spiritual transformation from her earthly, material, passionate nature (which the evangelist equates with the female) to a heavenly, spiritual, intellectual nature (which the same evangelist equates with the male). As much of this Gospel had distinctive parallels to the Gnostic tradition (another topic in which I found enough material for another paper) this transformation appears to allude to some type of ritualistic act or perhaps an ascetic lifestyle.

The real issue here appears to be the value that Peter’s question has for the future role of women in the development of Christianity, which may have been in direct opposition to their place in the community. This is especially true of the leadership roles that women would occupy in years to come. The key element here is that these were not issues related to the ministry of Jesus, but rather to the Christian movement itself.

Authorship

The divergence in perspective between the “sayings” of Thomas and the message in the canonical Gospels only addresses the third, and perhaps most vague, of the three criteria listed above. The first issue that is typically addressed is that of authorship.

Any inquiry of this nature must necessarily discuss the pervasive “Q” source. Most Biblical historians indicate that both Matthew and Luke used a similar source when they wrote their gospels. The scholars felt that as the authors of these 2 gospels had never met, and yet used identical quotes of Jesus, there must be a common source document that they had both read. Over time, this mysterious source became known as “the lost Gospel Q.” Prior to the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas, no other documents, or even fragments, had provided any collaborative information for the Q theory, but as at least a third of the sayings in Thomas are strikingly similar to the Q information, the scholars felt as if they had finally found an additional source to provide support for Q.

Regardless of the similarities among the documents, the question of the author of the Gospel of Thomas was still an unknown. Though the book is usually attributed to the “doubting Thomas” of the New Testament, this is only a supposition based on fragmentary evidence. The Gospel itself opens with the line, “These are the secret words that the living Jesus spoke and Didymus Judas Thomas wrote down.” Of course, the last line of the text is, “The Gospel according to Thomas.” Scholars have told us that the name “Thomas” is the Semitic term for “twin” and that “Didymos” has the same meaning in Greek. In this case, only Judas would be an actual name. Some scholars believe that the author could have been Jesus’ brother. As it stands, the true authorship of the document is still unknown.

The Text of the Gospel

Many Biblical scholars feel that Thomas represents one of the many independent schools of Christianity that developed early in the history of the religion. The text itself portrays Jesus as far more of a social radical, telling his listeners to reject society’s phony piety and the hollow values of the business world. He often sounds like more of a Zen master when he speaks of the “kingdom of God” being right here, right now. This is far more consistent with the image of Jesus as sage, teacher and personifier of wisdom-more consistent with a portrait of a “humble man with a powerful message.”

The text of the Gospel itself is comprised of 114 “sayings” which are consistent with the manner in which a teacher of oral tradition would structure the key elements of his material. We find each of the classic parables but also sense a consistency of construction among the remaining sayings. Many readers, scholars and students (myself included) feel that the pattern and flow of the text adds credibility to the reliability of the document.

Summary

I am certainly in no position to question either Biblical scholars or members of the canonical councils and synods as to the authenticity of this work. To me, the only value that any scriptural text has is whether or not it provides the reader with insight and clarity into the will of God and His desires for the relationship between Himself and mankind. Having studied the historical evidence, the scholarly interpretations and the other four gospels, it is my opinion that the Gospel of Thomas can provide us with not only corroborative evidence for evaluating the canonical Gospels, but also with a perspective that speaks much more directly to the relationships among God’s people.

Depending on one’s perspective on the ministry of Jesus, this Gospel provides its readers with insights into the desires of God the Father for how our relationship should be based on how we treat each other. Although there is much to be said about the Gnostic flavor of this Gospel, especially in its deprecation of the Earthly world (21:6, 27:1, 56:1) and the escapist tone of the deliverance message (50), there is much to be said of its reflection of the classic Jewish wisdom tradition `ala Psalms and Proverbs.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my work on this project and, as always, appreciated the benefit of being able to view the “big questions” from another perspective. Although I do not believe that the Gospel of Thomas will be accepted into the conventional canon anytime soon, I do feel that it should be valued for what it provides: an additional look at the character, wisdom, and most importantly, the message of Jesus Christ.

SELECTED LIST OF WORKS CONSULTED

Dart, John. Unearthing the Lost Words of Jesus. Berkely, CA: Ulysses Press, 1998.

Elliott, J. K., ed. The Apocryphal New Testament. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1993.

Funk, Robert, Hoover Roy and The Jesus Seminar. The Five Gospels. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993.

Metzger, Bruce M. and Murphy, Roland E., ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Metzger, Bruce M. The Canon of the New Testament. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.

Oxford University Press. The Gospel of Thomas. New York, NY: 1993.

Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing, 1998.

Wilkins, Michael and Moreland, J.P., eds. “Craig Blomberg on “Where Do We Start Studying Jesus?” Jesus Under Fire, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.

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